54．Which of the following statements is not flue?

A．A language is a means of expressing a particular culture.

B．American Indian languages are as developed as English.

C．All languages can well express their own cultures.

D．Some languages are better than other languages.

53．The writer has used American Indian languages as an example to show that they are　　　 .

A．just as fully developed as some well-known languages

B．more developed than some well-known languages

C．more complex than some well-known languages

D．just as old as some well-known languages

52．According to the writer, people of underdeveloped cultures can have　　　　 languages.

A．complicated　　 　　 B．uncivilized　　 　　　　 C．primitive 　　　　　　　 D．well-known

51．In the second paragraph the writer thinks about that　　　　 .

A．some backward race doesn’t have a language of its own

B．some race in history didn’t possess a language of its own

C．any human race, whether backward or not, has a language

D．some races on earth can communicate without language

50．The writer suggests that Hank Viscardi　　　　　 .

A．had no friends

B．never saw himself as different from others

C．was very shy

D．was too proud to accept help from others

C

Many things about language are mystery, and many will always be so. But some things we do　 know.

First, we know that all human beings have a language of some kind. There is no race of men anywhere on earth so backward that it has no language, no set of speech sounds by which the people communicate with one another. In historical times, there has never been a race of men without a language.

Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language. There are many people whose cultures　 are underdeveloped, who are, as we say, uncivilized, but the languages they speak are not primitive. In all known languages we can see complexities that must have been tens of thousands of years in developing.

This has not always been well understood； indeed, the direct contrary has often been stated. Popular ideas of the language of the American Indians will illustrate. Many people have guessed that the Indians communicated in a very primitive system of noises. Study has proved this to be nonsense. There are, or were, hundreds of American Indian languages, and all of them turn out to be very complicated and very old. They are certainly different from the languages that most of us are familiar with, but they are no more primitive than English and Greek.

A third thing we know about language is that all languages are perfectly adequate. This is, each one is a perfect means of expressing the culture of the people who speak the language.

Finally, we know that language changes. Its natural and normal for language to change；the only languages which do not change are the dead ones. This is easy to understand if we look backward in time. Change goes on in all aspects of language. Grammatical features changes as do speech sounds and changes in vocabulary ale sometimes very extensive and may occur very rapidly. Vocabulary is the least stable part of any language.

49．When Hank marched and drilled along with the other soldiers, he　　　　　 .

A．did everything the other soldiers did

B．did most of the things the other soldiers did

C．did some of the things the other soldiers did

D．took some special training

48．The sentence“he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job”implies that the Red Cross　　 .

A．was only glad to give him a job

B．gave him a job because he was a good soldier

C．gave him a job after he talked to someone whom he knew in the organization

D．was not willing to give him a job at first

47．It can be inferred from the story that five feet eight inches tall is　　　　　 .

A．an average height for a fully grown person

B．too tall for an average person

C．too short for an average person

D．none of the above

46．Children laughed at Hank and called him‘Ape Man’because　　　　　　 .

A．he didn’t talk to them　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．he kept away from them

C．his arms touched the ground when he moved D．he couldn’t use his arms

45．From the passage we can infer that

A．the writer successfully arrived at the hostel at last

B．the businessman lent the writer some money

C．the businessman bought the writer the metro tickets

D．the businessman took the writer to the hostel himself

B

Hank Viscardi was born without legs. He had-_not legs but stumps(残肢)that could be fitted with a kind of special boots. People stared at him with cruel interest. Children laughed at him and called him Ape Man’(猿人)because his arms practically dragged 0n the ground.

Hank went to school like other boys. His grades were good and he needed only eight years to finish his schooling instead of the usual twelve. After graduating from school, he worked his way through college. He swept floors, waited on table, or worked in one of the college offices. During all this busy life, he had been moving around on his stumps. But one day the doctor told him even the stumps were not going to last much longer He would soon have to use a wheel chair.

Hank felt himself got cold all over. However, the doctor said there was a chance that he could be fitted with artificial legs(假腿). Finally a leg maker was found and the day came when Hank stood up before the mirror. For the first time he saw himself as he had always wanted to be---a full five feet eight inches tall. By this time he was already 26 years old.

Hank had to learn to use his new legs. Again and again he marched the length of the room, and marched back again. There were times when he fell down on the floor, but he pulled himself up and went back to the endless marching. He went out on the street. He climbed stairs and learned to dance. He built a boat and learned to sail it.

When World War II came, he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job. He took the regular training. he marched and drilled along with the other soldiers. Few knew that he was. legless. This　 was the true story of Hank Viscardi, a man without legs.